It is known to have pillars supporting the roof and giving structural support to the motor vehicle. The pillars define door openings and window openings such as for the windshield. It is also known to have the fixed window panel and the door overlie the pillar so that the pillar is hidden from view from the exterior of the car. A molding fills the space between the window panel and the door to seal the vehicle from weather and wind noise and make the vehicle more aesthetically pleasing.
It is also known to mount the molding to the vehicle pillar by screws or by a plurality of clips spaced along the length of the molding. The clips engage studs welded to the pillar of the frame. A shortcoming of these methods is the requirement of numerous fasteners. In addition these methods can result in lack of consistency in placement of the molding relative to the pillar since the molding inboard or outboard position is dependent on the amount of force used to install the molding on the clips.
It is also known to mount the molding to the window panel and then mount the window panel and molding assembly to the vehicle by an adhesive. A shortcoming of this method is that the location of the molding is dependent on where the window and molding are positioned with respect to the window opening and how much force is used to insert the window and molding into the adhesive surrounding the window opening.
It would be desirable to have a molding that mounts to a retainer which is welded to the pillar whereby the location of the molding is consistent and is not related to the amount of force used in installing the molding.